Attention bloggers, your assistance is requested

While blogging about Cuba is been very rewarding from a personal standpoint it is also very frustrating because our enemy, the castro regime, has a very well-funded and organized propaganda machine. In short, he has the best public relations organization that money can buy, and it includes highly placed academics, journalists, politicians and bureaucrats in the US! Every day I receive news alerts from the international media via email that are literally the same exact lines that come out of the official regime mouthpieces like Prensa Latina and Granma.

The exile community is more than 2 million people strong but we are not organized nor do we speak with one voice like the regime. As a result, we are simply losing this war of the words. After some thought I have come to the conclusion that while our work, and that of our colleagues, is important, we can accomplish much more by being smarter about what what we do and how we do it. We have therefore created an organization called Bloggers United for Cuban Liberty (BUCL).

The following FAQ should tell you everything you need to know about BUCL right now.

What is Bloggers United for Cuban Liberty?
It’s a group whose mission is it is to pool resources and ideas to promote a free Cuba to the news media.

How can BUCL achieve it’s mission, isn’t that what we are all trying to do already?
Yes we are trying to get our side of the story out there so that hopefully the news media can pick it up but individually we have a lot less power than as a group. A group is more powerful than the sum of its individual parts.

I don’t get it, what can BUCL do that we aren’t doing now?
For one thing, we can focus on a singles issue for a predetermined amount of time. For another we can afford to do things by chipping in financially that we would never be able to afford individually.

There are other such groups of Cuba bloggers, isn’t this something one of them can do?
Technically yes, they can do it. But we have very defined ideas about what should be done and how and we don’t want to force our ideas on any existing group. Anyone that belongs to such groups is welcome at BUCL.

I’m starting to see, but how exactly is this going to work?
We have set up a home base for the group at BUCL.org This new blog will be the clearing house for information about well-defined “campaigns” that further the mission of getting the mainstream media to cover the reality of the Cuban situation.

Can you give me an example of what one of these campaigns might be like?
We might, for example, hold a candlelight vigil for the Cuban political prisoners in a very visible place and hold a press conference. This would be a relatively inexpensive campaign. Other campaigns may cost more.

You mentioned costs, is it going to cost me anything to participate as a campaign sponsor?
Many times the answer will be yes. Each campaign will be preceded by a campaign proposal, soliciting sponsors, detailing the idea and exactly how it will work and how much it will cost. Because it’s easier to afford certain things as a group, those willing to participate as blog sponsors for a campaign will donate an amount that is pre-set for each campaign. Each campaign has a different circumstance and a different approach. Some will only require a candle and a presence for a vigil or silent protest. Some may require the purchase of an ad space, for example, in newspaper from a state where the governor is heading to Cuba to negotiate a trade deal. It all depends on the objective of the campaign.

What do I get in exchange for the sponsorship donation?
First of all you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing that you did something rather than just writing about it because your funds will go toward an act not an idea. Additionally, each campaign will have its own sponsor logo. Sponsors will be provided with the official sponsor logo to post on their blogs or sites. Ideally that logo will link back to the BUCL blog, where each sponsor will have a blog post written about its participation in the campaign. The BUCL blog sidebar will have section called Active Campaign Sponsors where the sponsor blog logos and links will be posted. All campaign sponsors will be mentioned in all campaign related press materials including press releases and media alerts.

Will sponsors have any input on campaign ideas or modifications?
Yes, we will take any serious suggestions to heart but we will have the final say in what gets done and when.

That sounds a little egotistical, who died and made you king of the bloggers?
Nobody. The reason why we need to have the last word is for the sake of practicality. We simply can’t have 100 chiefs and no Indians. These campaigns are going to be well thought-out and many are going to be time sensitive. We can’t waste time or energy trying to build consensus. Such efforts often lead to paralysis and BUCL is about taking actions.

That doesn’t sound like a democracy?
Well it is democratic because you will have an opportunity to review each campaign proposal, just like you would ballot initiatives in an election and decide whether you want it or not. Nobody is going to force or pressure you to become a campaign sponsor. You can sponsor those campaigns you like and decline those you don’t like.

What happens during a campaign?
During a campaign any campaign-related media hits will be linked to or posted about on the BUCL blog. Progress will be constantly updated on the blog. Sponsor bloggers and non-sponsor friends of BUCL will be encouraged to blog about the campaign to create a “surround sound” effect in the blogosphere.

What happens when a campaign ends?
As soon as a campaign ends a new campaign proposal will be made available to potential sponsors. The sponsor logos on the sidebar of the BUCL blog will be removed to make way for those who decide to sponsor the new campaign.

Who is behind BUCL and why should I trust them?
Real people are behind it. Mainly Val Prieto and myself (Henry Gomez). I have been blogging about Cuba for more than two years and Val for more than four years. We’re not going anywhere. In fact you can meet us at Cuba Nostalgia or other events. If a campaign fails it will be because of unforeseen circumstances such as unpredictable world or local events that can change the focus of the news media (like a big fire or similar event) but not for a lack of effort or because of fraud. We will disclose all campaign costs to sponsors and issue refunds for unused sponsorship dollars or provide credit toward a future campaign.

Does one have to be a blogger to be a campaign sponsor?
No, anyone can sponsor a campaign however some of the benefits of being a sponsor are very attractive to bloggers and webmasters because they will result in incremental traffic to their blogs and sites. There will be a special section recognizing non-blogger/webmaster sponsors if they wish to have their names publicized. Also one can make a donation for less than the sponsorship amount if they just want to chip in what they can to help. Of course, those donations will be anonymous.

I’m excited about seeing this in action, when is the first campaign?
The first campaign is already well into the planning stages and is set to kick off during Cuba Nostalgia in May. The sponsor cost of the campaign is going to be $100. I believe this will be one of the more expensive campaigns to participate in but also one of the more impactful ones. If you would like a copy of the campaign proposal please email me and tell me which blog you represent. Don’t rule out participating until you see the proposal.

Why don’t you just disclose the campaign proposal here, right now?
Because there’s a couple of details that need to be ironed out and also because we don’t want the news media to pick up on our group or our plan prematurely.